Gone
by blessedgal
Summary: Mike and Julie continued their relationship after the war, but somethings Julie just can't live with, so she leaves. Just includes the Orginal miniseries and the Final Battle.
1. Prologue

_**Prologue **_

'What do the heroes of war do after the war is over?' Julie sat in her and Mike's bedroom wondering about all the people she met and "served" with in the Resistance during the war. In the 18 months since the war had ended, Mike and Julie had kept in touch with only a few of their friends. She missed many of them and Julie found it difficult in the first few weeks after the war ended. It was just too quiet in their house. They lived with so many people in the hideouts that their new house seemed so empty. Eventually she got use to the quiet, but there were nights when she longed for the camaraderie they had all shared.

Robin had become a very close and dear friend. She seemed to have grow up tremendously after the war ended, shedding the whining and adolescent attitude. There were still times when she could be a bit of a high maintenance friend, but that didn't bother Julie too much. Seeing her take such amazing care of Elizabeth really made Julie respect her more. The two women usually talked every few days or so, and tried to meet for coffee each Thursday. Julie even had Elizabeth stay the night when Robin needed a break. Julie remained Elizabeth's "doctor" in private, hoping to preserve some of the child's privacy. No one knew exactly how much of Elizabeth was human and how much was Vistor and Robin was afraid to take her to see any other doctor. Especially now that Elizabeth began shedding her skin again and has grown into a teenager. With Julie's help she has been learning how to use her "powers" more productively, but they keep them a secret and hope to protect Elizabeth from becoming known to the general public.

Robert, Robin's father, decided to move he and his younger girls to a more remote location in Wyoming. He had tried to talk Robin into coming with him, but she didn't want to be too far from Julie in case Elizabeth needed her. Robin also loathed the idea of living in the middle of nowhere, she needed to be around people. Robert and Julie had the rights to the Red Dust and Robert took over the tough job of getting production of the chemical up and going. He would consult Julie when a big decisions needed to be made, but she was so busy with other things that Robert was the one doing most the work. He didn't mind because he had the time, and it felt good to use his education for something worth while.

Martin lived with Mike and Julie for eight months after the war ended. He had no relatives on earth and Mike was his closest friend here. Martin had it rough though, as did all the Visitors who ended up stranded on Earth after their people were run off the planet. Many people didn't care that Martin was one of the few who saved the Earth from mass destruction when Diana armed her Mothership. All people saw was a Visitor and they wanted him gone. Having Martin living with them made Julie feel like Martin was safer because she knew Mike would fight off anyone who tried to harm him. There were threats in the beginning, but those seem to fizzle out as time went on. They even got some mice from the local pet store and kept them in a cage out in the backyard for Martin. Julie wished they could provide Martin with more variety, but most edible rodents and small animals were taken by the Visitors, and they were hard to find. Mice reproduced so fast that they were easier to come by.

There was a new compound built north of Los Angeles for the remaining Visitors. It was a group of buildings that were connected and filtered of the Red Dust, making the environment safe for the Visitors. Not many of them liked the idea of being stuck in one place all the time, but most realized that not only was the compound safe for their health, it was a place to keep them safe from anti-Visitor violence. After the compound was finished, Martin decided to go live there.

Martin and the other visitors had a prescription of the medication Julie created to protect the Fifth Column, but they only used it when they ventured out, which was seldom. There was not a lot of the medication left to go around, so it was only used on rare occasions. There was a manufacturer that was making the medication in much larger quantities, but they were getting so much grief for the production that they cut back drastically. Julie was working to get someone else to manufacture it, but so far no one was willing. Julie knew how to make the formula if needed, but getting the ingredients was proving much harder than she expected. There was a rumor going around that a group was trying to get it illegal for anyone to make the medication. They wanted the Visitors to be forced to live at the compound so they were monitored more closely. Someone had to make this medication though, or the Visitors left on Earth would eventually die off from Red Dust exposure. Julie felt personally responsible for this and wanted to do everything she could to make sure that didn't happen.

Willie also moved to the compound up north and Julie would see him when she and Mike came up to visit Martin. After Harmony died, he did not have anyone special on earth, so he though it was best to move up there to be around his people. Willie was a favorite among many of the Resistance. He was so quirky with his rough English and light personality. He could always make Julie smile, even when she was not in a very good mood. The trip was worth the two hour drive, and she seem to always go home happier than when she came. They ended up making the trip about once a month, and it was nice to reconnect with both men.

Ham is also a very close friend now. He ended up staying in L.A. and started a new life there. He was contracting himself out to companies that needed to reestablish their security features. Julie was always amazed at how busy Ham stayed. She knew he would rather be out fighting for some cause, but Ham was getting older and really needed to slow down. He and Mike liked to hang out together, and they were learning how to put their differences aside. It was rough for Ham at first, because of Martin living with them, but after getting to know the Visitor, Ham ended up coming over every Sunday for dinner, sometimes bringing his new girlfriend Jolene. It amazed Julie that Ham actually came around about Martin, but many things about Ham had changed. Julie smiled at the thought of Ham and what a hard man he use to be. He could still be very stubborn and irritating, but she loved him like a brother and knew that wasn't who he was anymore.

The rest of the group dispersed and Mike and Julie hadn't heard from them or only talked to them once in a blue moon. They occasionally saw an article in the newspaper about someone, but that was about as much as they heard. There was word that a get together was being planned, but nothing ever seemed to come of it.

Mike and Julie decided to stay in L. A. They quickly became well known for their role as leaders in the crippled government left in the quake of the Visitors gave them a house that had been left vacant after the war as a thank you. Because of her work during the war, Julie was given the Doctor of Medicine degree she had been working on by the college she was attending. Julie then was offered a residency program at a local hospital and began the tedious task of becoming a doctor once again. Mike was asked to come work for a private film/photography company that went into foreign countries taking pictures of the mass chaos left by the Visitors. Julie was not very happy with the job, but Mike enjoyed being in the action again and liked to be able to make a good amount of money. High wages were not very common in the post-war economy, and it fed his ego to know he was getting paid more than most. Julie was able to not worry about money while she finished her residency, and Mike liked that. Julie was a strong person, and Mike liked her being dependent on him in this way. He never told Julie that, he didn't have to, she knew Mike well enough to know what he was thinking. His job was the center of a lot of arguments between them. Julie kept asking Mike to find another job because of the danger associated with his, but he didn't think she was being realistic, so he ignored her requests.

Julie thought about Mike and their relationship. They had been so close and happy those first six months after the war ended. The longer Mike was at his job though, the more stressed she became about it. Julie loved Mike, but seeing him go into danger often, and being gone for longer and longer periods of time was putting strain on their relationship. Julie was hoping to sit down with Mike and have a long talk with him, but it didn't seem like he was home long enough for them to do that recently. "What do war heroes do after the war ends?" Julie murmured the thought out loud, "keep fighting, but with each other instead I guess." Just then, Mike walked into the room.


	2. Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1**_

_Present day_

"Where are you flying to this time?" Julie didn't cover up the fact that this trip angered her. She hated his job, hated that it was so dangerous. She had spent enough time during the war worrying about Mike. She had many sleepless nights wondering if he would come back alive, and she didn't have the energy to worry about that anymore. Every time she brought it up, he just brushed it off, which didn't help the situation much.

"We're just flying into India for the week. Even though things have calmed down there a lot, the boss man wants us to get a few pictures anyways ." Mike tried to ignore the fact that Julie was still grumbling about his job. **'**I'm making a living, a good living, doesn't that mean anything? Besides, anything that helps keep my mind off Sean is a good thing.'

"Hmmmm," Julie didn't even answer him, she had busied herself reading the newest version of Medical Life magazine that she could find. Things were strained between them and she didn't want to think about it right now.

Mike looked at Julie for a minute before deciding that she hadn't really wanted to know where he was going. She had shut down for the moment and he wasn't going to get a conversation out of her right now no matter how hard he tried. Mike decided that he would try again in a few minutes and headed to their closet to pack. Even though Julie was being stubborn about the whole job issue, he loved her and wanted to find a way to make her feel better. Suddenly, coming up with an idea on how to remedy the situation, Mike smiled to himself and grabbed his favorite pair of khakis.

_An hour later_

"Hey Julie, got a minute? Mike put all his luggage by the front door and came into the living room. Mike knew Julie had come in there to get away from watching him pack his bags.

"Sure," Julie suspected Mike wanted to try to make things better between them before he left. She felt like they were way beyond fixing their relationship with just a quick chat but she decided to listen to what he had to say.

"I was thinking," Mike sat next to Julie pulling her into a side embrace, "there is always so much down time on these trips I take, why don't you come along with me? You always said you wanted us to take a romantic trip together somewhere, and we can let my boss foot the bill!". Mike also wanted to take her with him so she could see what they really do, and hopefully she would lose some of the anxiety she had about his job.

"Mike, I just can't take off for a week without notice, not to mention following you around while you work is not my idea of a romantic vacation." Julie felt deflated sitting there in Mike's arms. She wondered how he could be planning a "romantic" trip when they were falling apart as a couple. "Besides I have commitments at the hospital that I can't change, I am still trying to find someone to make the antidote that no one wants to touch because of death threats. Robin has been freaking out about Elizabeth since she grew again, and we still haven't been able to figure out anything else about Diana's conversion process. Do you not understand all the things I am trying to juggle right now Mike?" Julie didn't mean to come off sounding so ungrateful, but darn him for thinking she could drop everything just to do something that would make _him_ feel better! "If that is all you wanted to ask me about, the answer is no, I just cannot come with you right now. " With that said, Julie stood up out of Mike's embrace and headed to the coat closet to put on her jacket. She needed to be at the hospital in about two hours and even though it only takes her 30 minutes to drive there, she wanted to leave now.

"I'm sorry my idea offended you so much. I thought with the way things were you would want to spend some time alone with just the two of us, stupid me!" Mike was openly irritated at Julie's response to his seemingly good idea. "Do you want me to at least drop you off at the hospital?" He liked driving her to the hospital for her shifts because it meant he would be picking her up when she was dog tired and barely able to stay awake. He liked it when it felt like Julie needed him, and he always took advantage of the opportunity.

"Thanks, but I think I will just drive myself. If you drop me off, who would pick me up tomorrow at the end of my shift?" Julie sighed and rubbed her forehead. She was getting a headache already and her shift hadn't even started. "My purse and books are already in my car, so I am going to head out, have a good trip Mike." Julie quickly walked over to where Mike was still sitting on the couch and leaned down to give him a quick peck on the cheek. Mike had other plans and pulled her down onto his lap giving her a deep kiss. He usually could get Julie into a better mood with a kiss, and he didn't want to leave knowing she was so upset with him. Julie relaxed into his kiss but then broke away a bit breathless. She leaned into him and took a moment to study his eyes. "Please don't go Mike, not today. We need to talk and I don't know if it can wait until you get back."

"I can't stay, you know that. I'm suppose to meet the guys at the airport in about an hour. I wish I could call them and back out of the trip, but I just can't do that, not now. Let's talk when I get back, it will only be a week and then I am all yours. OK?" Mike gave Julie another quick kiss and as he stood up, he put her back on her feet. While he headed for the door, Mike felt confident that things were better between them. He never notice the tears starting to well up in Julie's eyes."

_Thee nights later at Mike and Julie's house_

Julie was standing next to her favorite chair in their bedroom, she was scanning the room to see if she had anything left to pack.

"Julie, I really wish you would think about this some more, it can't be _THAT_ bad!" Robin was doing her part to talk her friend out of moving away. Julie had called her earlier this morning telling her that she was leaving Mike because she couldn't handle things anymore. Robin rushed over to their house and tried to talk Julie out of the move, but she wasn't getting anywhere. "How can you move without planning this? You don't have a job, or a place to stay. What about me and your other friends? Who am I going to have coffee with every Thursday?" Robin knew her argument was a bit weak, but she wanted to try anything. "Elizabeth will be so lost without you. You are the only one I would let be her doctor, besides she loves you _SO_ much!" Robin knew bringing up Elizabeth was a stab into Julie's heart, and if anything would make her stay, it would be that sweet little girl. Julie had been the one who delivered Elizabeth, and they have been close ever since. The girl was not like any other child. She had "abilities" and intuition that amazed Julie. Being half Visitor,/half Human somehow gave her some kind of powers. No one knows how or why she inherited these powers, but Julie has come to love and respect the little girl.

"Robin, don't!" Julie knew it was going to be hard to leave, she wasn't denying that, and Robin's insistent talking was only making it harder. Maybe she shouldn't have called her. "Anyways, I do have a job and a place to stay. A friend of mine from medical school called me a month ago offering me a place in her ER. I can finish up my residency there and then have a job waiting. I was going to talk it over with Mike, but every time I tried to discuss it, we just got into an argument over_ his _job. I need to do this, Robin. I have to do something for myself for once!" Julie broke into tears and sat down with her face in her hands. "Don't you know how much I love him, but I can't do this anymore, I just can't."

Robin knelt down next to Julie and put her arm around her. "I just don't want to be here without you, and I especially don't want to be anywhere near here when Mike finds out you left. You know he won't just let you go?" Robin knew these two were suppose to be together, everyone did who ever saw them together. She felt so helpless in the situation and just sat down on the floor, waiting for Julie to come to her senses. "Besides, how on earth are you going to support yourself. Hasn't Mike been the only one making the money?" Robin was seriously confused. She knew it wasn't any of her business, but the gloves were off now and anything was fair game.

Once Julie stopped crying, she looked at Robin "Mike doesn't know this, but I have a personal savings account in just my name. I was given an inheritance when I was younger, and the money has been sitting there for years for just a moment like this. Luckily, the bank my money was in wasn't completely destroyed by the Visitors, so I can use that money until I start making my own. Julie then stood up and headed to the kitchen. Robin followed her, trying to think of something else to say.

"Well, I think that is everything I am going to take, I better get going if I am going to make this drive in time." Julie took one last look around the house. She grabbed a photo of her and Mike that had been taken of them not long after the war had ended. She stuffed it into her purse and headed out the door. After putting the last of her things in the car, Julie walked over to where Robin was standing behind her car's door. "I want to give this to you..." Julie handed Robin a small manilla envelope. "This is my new address and phone number. Please keep this to yourself. I have only given this to you, my mom and Ham. I DO NOT want Mike getting this. He is not to know where I am, ever. I have to make this a clean break, and the last thing I need is for him to call me or show up at my door." With that Julie turned around, walked to her car, got in and drove away. Robin was left watching her friend make the biggest mistake of her life. Robin whispered an unanswered goodbye as tears rolled down her face.

_Two nights after leaving_

'SHE DID WHAT?" Mike was yelling into the phone, so angry he could barely contain himself. Mike had come home early from his trip and found the house empty. Trying the hospital, he only got the run around about her not being there, so he thought he would try calling Robin. When she answered the phone, his life changed drastically in a moment. "Why on earth didn't you stop her, for Pete's sake Robin, you were right here with her! Where did she go?

"Mmmm...ike, " Robin could barely get his name out let alone talk to him through the sobs wracking her body. "sssshhee, asked me nnnnnooot tooo tell yoooou."

"I can't believe this, of all the stupid things... Robin, I am coming over there, and when I get there, you are going to tell me where she went. Do-You-Under-Stand?" Mike was getting desperate, and thought that a slight threat might make the usual talkative Robin give up Julie's hiding place.

"Mike,...Mike! I cannot give you any information, I promised and I just can't. Julie was serious Mike. You need to let her go!" Robin found her voice with some courage and a bit of anger at Mike for thinking she was so weak that a little threat would cause her to turn on Julie. "She gave you a chance Mike, but you were not willing to listen, so she left. She gave me a letter to give you, you can come for it anytime, but that is it, just the letter and then you go. Do you understand Mike? " After Julie left, Robin had opened the manilla envelope Julie had left her and found a letter addressed to Mike. She thought of mailing it to Mike, but thinking it would be less painful to him if she gave it to him in person, she decided to call him and tell him to come pick it up. Robin didn't give Mike the chance to answer her and hung up the phone.

Two hours later Mike finally decided to go get the letter from Robin. He was so angry before that he didn't trust himself to drive without running someone over. He can't believe that Julie would just leave like this. 'Why wouldn't she have told me, talked to me about this before?' He knew things were a bit strained between them, but had it really been _that_ bad? He actually thought things were getting better because they had made love the night before he left on his last trip and it was good, really good. Not that it wasn't ever not good, but this time it was...different, now he knows it was a sort of goodbye for Julie...he was not ready to deal with this. "JULIE, what have you done!" Mike yelled to no one in the passenger seat of his car, realization started setting in.

Mike had quickly grabbed the letter from Robin and headed home as fast as he could. He dropped the letter on the bed and went to change into his pajamas. If he was going to deal with this, he might as well deal with it in comfort. In all honestly, he was trying to figure out something, anything to delay his reading the letter. Now that he had it in his possession, he did not want to read it. He knew Julie was gone, and right now that is all that mattered. Tomorrow he would worry about how to find her, but right now, he just had to figure out a way to not let his heart break. Even with all the arguments and distance he and Julie had had in the past few months, Julie was the love of his life, and he couldn't imagine living without her.

After Mike had changed his clothes he stood there, just staring at the letter. He hoped that if he stared at it long enough Julie would come running into the bedroom and tell him it was all a huge mistake. They would make love and life would be perfect again, or at least back the way it was. She would be coming through that door soon right? "Dang it Mike, just open the stupid letter!" He knew talking to himself was a way for him to get the courage up to open it. Finally Mike sat on the bed and tore into the letter. It was typical Julie, short and to the point. She never did like dwelling on something too long. Just deal with it and move on was her way, and he loved her for it. Right now though, he wished she had more to say.

Mike,

There is no other way to say this than I am leaving. I cannot live anymore not knowing if you are going to come home alive. Too much time was spent worrying about that during the war, and I am done. I tried talking to you about it, but it was in vain. I thought about giving you an ultimatum, but instead I made the choice for you. Please do not come looking for me, I have moved on and there is no place for you in my life anymore. You have so much to give someone, I hope you find the right woman someday.

Julie

Mike read the letter over and over, stunned by how impersonal it seemed He couldn't believe it was that easy for Julie to just walk away from the life they had built together after the war. 'Where on Earth could she have gone? Was she with someone else? ' Thoughts of where Julie could be and what she could be doing started assaulting Mike's mind. He just didn't know what to think. "Tomorrow," Mike muttered to himself, "Tomorrow I am going to find Julie and bring her home." Mike made his way to the kitchen and found the bottle of Scotch Julie had bought him after the war ended. Mike preferred Scotch to any other drink, but never really had the time or need to drink much after the war ended. He and Julie had been so happy and kept to themselves most of the time that this bottle went untouched. He grabbed a glass from the cupboard and headed back to his room. He had downed two shots of the potent drink by the time he reached their bed. He got under the covers, trying not to spill his next glassful. Julie would be so mad that he..."ahhh who cares now" Mike spat at no one and took another drink. He and his bottle were going to have a long night together, and he blamed it on Julie,' it was all her fault.' Mike took a picture of Julie that he had kept on his night stand table and studied it. "Yup Julie, here's to you and your pathetic running away. May you die alone wishing I was there with you!" The alcohol had gone straight to Mike's brain, and he found his mouth saying things his heart didn't mean. "I don't need you, I can have whatever woman I want...with that said, Mike threw the picture against the wall. He didn't care that it broke into a million pieces, tomorrow it was going in the trash. The more Mike drank the louder and angrier he got. When he had emptied the bottle, Mike tumbled around the house looking for things missing that Julie had taken. His mind couldn't focus very well, but he noticed that she had left so much, her whole life with him was still there. "Stupid woman." Mike slurred curses at Julie as he made his way back to their bed. He fell onto his side of the bed and laid there for a moment trying to stop the room from spinning. As he laid there he found himself reaching over to Julie's side of the bed. The empty space she left behind was another painful reminder to Mike of her leaving. In one last fit of anger, Mike found himself punching Julie's pillow over and over again grunting with each blow. He was getting so dizzy from the alcohol that he collapsed onto his pillow as a single tear fell from his eye.


	3. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2**_

_Two nights after leaving_

Julie plopped down on the too soft bed in her motel room and looked around. The decor died about twenty years ago, and there was an underlying musty smell. The place looked clean, but there was something off about it. Julie knew she had the money to stay at a nicer place, but there was a part of her that wanted to punish herself for leaving, and staying at a four star hotel would be too good for her right now. If she was honest with herself, Julie didn't really want to be here or anywhere nicer. She longed for her bed back home, all nice and warm with Mike laying next to her. "Stop it Julie," Julie reprimanded herself for thinking about Mike. She knew she had to keep her thoughts on where she was going, and the new life ahead of her. Regret was starting to creep in, and unless Julie wanted it to be her new best friend, she had to keep it at bay. As a distraction, Julie grabbed her atlas and studied a map of the United States. She had driven about 1400 miles so far and ended up in Midwest City, OK for the night. She figured she had about another two days drive if she kept up her ten hour a day pace. She wasn't expected at the new hospital for another two weeks, but Julie wanted to get settled into her new place and explore the historical city. She had never been to Charleston, SC and Julie could lie to herself, pretending that she was excited to get there and start her new life.

Julie took a quick hot shower and settled into bed. She tried to watch something on television, but she couldn't concentrate on it enough, so she turned it off. There was a Bible in the bedside table so she took it out and read a few verses. She couldn't remember what she had read after she was done, so she put the Bible back and turned off the light. As she laid there, her thoughts went back to Mike. She knew it was dangerous to let her mind wander to him, but she let go and gave herself permission to do so. She was wondering what he was doing at that moment. Julie wondered what he would do when he discovered she had left. He should be home in a day or so from his trip to India. Knowing him he would start grilling everyone they knew hoping to find out something. Mike was good at getting information, he was very determined and used every resource possible to get what he wanted. That thought made Julie smiled at the memory of the first time she met Mike. He had just been on Diana's ship sneaking around looking for Sean. He had been given a Visitor uniform by a fifth columnist who helped him escape and ended up walking around the streets that night. Elias and his buddies threw a garbage can on Mike's head and hauled him into the Resistances first headquarters. He was so mad when they took that garbage can off and accused him of being a Visitor. He got even more mad when Julie said he could be a collaborator. He had been so surprised when they all pointed to Julie as their leader. Mike had called her a kid and laughed in her face. He did let her clean up his head wound though, but then he let his mouth run like she learned he does on occasion. The other resistance fighters were very protective of Julie, and when Mike tried to leave in a huff he found it wasn't going to be so easy. Seeing Mike so frustrated at the time was no joking matter, but now that the war is over and they were together, it became a joke between the two of them. Thinking about that day made Julie laugh out loud, but the sound of her own laughter startled her. She wanted to call Mike so badly at that moment. She wanted to talk to him about that day and laugh with him. In reality she just wanted to talk to him, about anything. Mike was Julie's best friend and she missed him. Julie sat up in bed and swung her feet off the side. Turning on the light she looked at the phone. Mike wasn't due back yet, but he was known to walk through their door a day or two early. She told herself that this one call could change everything. She could be back in L. A. in two days and back in Mike's arms just as fast. He would forgive her wouldn't he? They had both made mistakes before, but could he trust her again after what she did? Would she be able to get back before Mike even knew she was gone? Julie wanted to know if she had ruined everything between them for good or if there was still time to salvage the situation. She wanted to go back home, but was that still an option? As Julie reached for the phone, realization set in. "What am I doing?" Julie cursed at herself for being so weak, for wanting a man who didn't respect her and who obviously didn't love her as much as she loved him. Julie had to remind herself why she left: Mike never cared about her and what she needed. He wouldn't listen and always put himself first. At least this is what she told herself. She knew they had had wonderful times and she even knew deep down that Mike would do anything for her. He loved her very much, but concentrating on the bad things made leaving so much easier for Julie. She sat on the edge of the bed for a while with her head in her hands. Another headache was threatening to invade her mind. This was the last thing Julie needed right now. She got up and went to her suitcase, she found the pill bottle that followed her everywhere these days. Taking two pills, she hoped they would keep the headache away. Julie knew she wasn't going to get much sleep tonight, but hopefully the pills she took would relax her enough so she could steal at least a few hours. Julie found her way back to the bedside, and turned the light back off. As she got back into bed she shivered at the coolness of the sheets. She pulled her legs up to herself and hugged them. She tried closing her eyes, but it just wasn't helping. She was alone in a cold bed miles away from everyone she loved, and Julie broke down. She sobbed into the motel pillow, eventually slipping into a fitful sleep. Tomorrow Julie will get back on the road and tomorrow she will head east, she will remind herself that she made her choice, and now she had to find a way to live with it.

_The next day_  
>"Mike, I have told you about twenty times already, Julie does not want you to know where she went. It seems to me that you are having a hard time understanding this. I know it is probably hard for you to let go, but Mike honey, Julie is gone. She left you and you need to let her go." Julie's Mother was irritated with Mike's continual phone calls. Julie left two days ago and he had called the Parish house about ten times already. Julie's parents did not like the relationship between Mike and their daughter and they were always very open to sharing their opinion. Mike was too old for her in their mind and they were against them living together before they were married. They kept reminding Julie that the relationship went against everything she was brought up to believe. Now that there was a way for Julie's mom to keep the two apart, she would keep Julie's secret forever if she had to. Maybe Julie would find a nice man who shared in their faith and would forgive Julie for her past mistakes.<p>

"Mrs. Parrish, please would you at least call Julie and tell her to call me. There are things we need to work out, and I do not have her phone number." Mike was trying not to beg over the phone, but he was so frustrated and he knew they were happy to have Julie away from him.

"I will give Julie the message Mike, but that is all I can do. Please stop calling here, you will not get any other information, do you understand? Julie was wise to realize that you are not the one she should be with, you need to respect her choices, I know you never did before!" The harsh words Mrs. Parrish barked into the phone stung Mike and he didn't know what to say. "thank you for your time, I am sorry to have bothered you!" Mike was beyond irritated and it showed in his voice. As he hung up the phone, Mike decided to go talk to Ham.

An hour later Mike pulled into Ham Tyler's driveway. He noticed Jolene's car there too, but at this moment, he honestly didn't care if he interrupted something, he needed to talk to Ham and he needed to talk to him now, this was important! "Ham!, Ham open the door, we need to talk!" Mike was pounding on Ham's front door. "Come on Ham, open the darn door!" Mike's voice was getting louder and his pounding on the door was getting harder.

"What on earth are you doing?" Ham growled at Mike as he swung the door open. Looking at Mike he saw that he obviously hadn't slept much the night before, and there was a light smell of booze on his breath. "are you drunk Mike? if you are drunk, you need to go home and come back when you have put yourself back together." Ham was always very up front with his friends, and he didn't hold back where Mike was concerned today.

Mike was taken back by the fact that Ham wasn't asking what happened to make Mike so out of sorts. "You know where she is don't you?" Mike accused Ham and stood there waiting for an answer. Ham stared Mike down for a few moments before he decided to answer him. "Yes Mike, she gave me her address and phone number before she left, for emergency purposes only! It's not for you to have, I'm sorry. Why don't you go back to bed and we will talk once you are feeling better." Ham may not have agreed with what Julie did, but he promised not to give Mike her information, and he never went back on his word. Ham went to close his door but Mike stopped him by putting his foot in the doorway.

"Feeling better? FEELING BETTER? how on earth am I suppose to feel better? Julie is gone..poof, just vanished from under my nose, and NO ONE is willing to tell me where she went! You are my friend Ham, MY friend, why aren't you telling me where she went. It's not like I am going to go and shoot her. I just want to talk to her, I deserve to be able to at least talk to her. Dang it Ham, are you going to help me out with this or not?"

"I'm sorry Gooder, this is one you are going to have to do on your own. Why don't you just relax a bit and see if she calls you sometime soon. Give her some space to breathe a bit, and who knows, maybe she will be back before you know it." Ham was trying to give the poor guy some hope. Even though he couldn't help him out, it wasn't fun to see the man suffer.

"Thanks anyways _friend" _Mike last word came out tasting bitter as he walked away with a bit less steam and one less friend.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_Five days after Julie left_

Mike sat in his living room not knowing what to do. 'How do you find someone who doesn't want to be found?' He knew there were ways, but Mike didn't have the resources he used to have. Julie never uses a credit card so she couldn't be traced that way. He wasn't sure if he could get any information about her drivers license or car tags, because he didn't know anyone in those departments anymore. He knew she would probably be working in some hospital somewhere, and he could start there, but there are thousands in the United States alone, and what if Julie had moved to another country? Mike soon remembered that Julie's passport was expired and trying to get a new one these days was exceptionally hard.

Mike went through his address book trying to think of someone who might be able to help him find Julie. He knew he could always hire a private detective, but that could cost a lot of money. As Mike was getting to the end of the names in his book he saw one that popped out at him. Rodney Cane, he was a man who could get anything and could find anyone. At least he use to be able to. Mike didn't know if Rodney was even still alive. So many people Mike knew had died during the war, but alive, this was his man. If anyone could find Julie, it was Rodney.

The first phone number Mike had for Rodney was disconnected. "Come on Rod, please be alive, and home!" Mike said a quick prayer as he dialed the only other number he had for the man. "Hello?" Mike heard the tell tale scratchy voice of Rodney Cane and couldn't believe his luck!

"Rod, hey stranger, it's Mike Donovan. How are you old timer?" Mike was anxious to get to the reason for his call, but he wanted to warm the man up first. He was known for being a bit of a jerk and Mike wanted to get on his good side.

"Well I'll be, Mike how are you? I saw you on the news a few times. I thought the Visitors had captured you, but here you went and saved the world. How could a punk like you do a thing like that?"

"I didn't save it, Elizabeth did, but that's a story for another time, I actually called wanting to see if you could help me with something. You up for some work" Mike tried to intrigue the man.

Rodney's voice got quiet when he answered, "I'm not doing much work anymore Mike, I'm not doing much of anything anymore. Those stupid lizards burned down my house with me in it, I barely survived. Not much of me is left and I haven't worked since. I'm sorry Mike, I wish I could help, but I just can't.

"I'm sorry Rod, I didn't know. Is there anything I can do to help? Do you need anything buddy?" Mike was crushed inside, but he owed it to the old man to help him if needed. Mike knew Rodney had saved his career once or twice and he wanted to repay him.

"No, thank you. I have my daughter here, she takes good care of me. What was it that you wanted anyways?" Curiosity always got the best of Rodney, he was never shy about asking anything..

"It's nothing Rod, I was just hoping you could help me find someone." Mike knew Rodney probably knew someone who could help, but he was always so secretive about his contacts, "Do you know anyone who is good at finding people? I need the best there is Rod, got any ideas?

"Looking for someone lost in the war? Everyone seems to be looking for someone these days. I can't tell you how many people have called me asking to find a lost loved one. I usually tell them to look at the stars at night, they have a better chance finding their loved ones up there than on this planet.

"That's harsh Rod, it may be true, but we have to let people have hope. Not everyone missing was up there." Mike knew so many people shared Rodney's attitude, but Mike refused to let himself get caught up in it. "Besides, I'm looking for someone who was here about a week ago. She left without leaving her forwarding address and I need to track her down."

"Your wife leave you again Mike? Haahaa, how many women have you run off? Three or four?"

"Very funny Rod! She wasn't my wife, at least not yet. I need to find her so we can change that." Mike stifled his annoyance, "Do you know of anyone who could help me out or not Rod? I am serious about this, I'm even willing to pay."

"OK, OK, I think I know someone, let me call you back. I will see what I can do. Don't run off another woman before I get back to you!" All Mike could hear as Rodney hung up the phone was a gruff laughing. That phone call painfully reminded Mike why he never liked the man.

_Five days after leaving_

_Charleston, SC_

Julie pulled into her new driveway and parked next to her friend Thomas' car. The house she was going to rent was a cute little yellow house. It had a big covered porch and Julie smiled when she saw a couple of rocking chairs already up there. There was a small yard and window boxes under the windows. Julie knew she wouldn't have much time for yard work, but maybe she could hire someone to keep the place looking nice. She loved flowers, and thought it would be nice to open her windows and let the breeze fill her house with their sweet aroma.

Julie got out of her car and stretched before walking to meet her friend on the porch. "Were you waiting long?" Julie gave her friend a hug and he motioned for her to sit in a rocking chair.

"No, I actually just pulled up and got out before you pulled in... Welcome to Charleston Julie. You'll find it's a lot different than Los Angeles!" Thomas sat rocking looking out into the driveway. "Do you guys need help unpacking the van? Where is Mike anyways? Is he coming behind you with the moving van?"

Julie didn't want to talk about Mike right now, but she knew she had to answer her friend. She decided to give a short but honest answer and hope Thomas didn't ask any more questions. "Mike's not coming. He needed to stay in L.A. so I came alone. I don't have much in the car so I can unpack it myself." Julie smiled at her friend. "Thanks for offering though, and thanks for finding this place for me." Julie got up out of the rocking chair and went to the front door. She saw a questioning look on Thomas' face that she didn't want to answer. Julie tried the knob but found it locked. She turned around to see Thomas holding a set of keys out to her. "Thanks," Julie took the keys and unlocked her front door. She went in to explore her new house.

"Julie? Where are you hiding?" Thomas slowly went from room to room trying to find where Julie disappeared to. He heard a muffled scream come from the far bedroom and ran in there to find Julie frozen. She pointed to a rather large bug in the corner of the room when she noticed Thomas. "Palmetto bugs Julie, you will get use to them." Thomas went into the bathroom and gathered some toilet paper. To Julie's disgust, he caught the bug and squished it between the folds of the paper.

"That is so disgusting, don't they spray the houses out here?"

Thomas just laughed at Julie. "It doesn't matter if they spray, you will have bugs, this is South Carolina. You need to get use to them or you will be very unhappy. Here have this one!" Thomas reached his hand out to Julie, but she made a face and ran out of the room. Thomas snickered to himself, "And she lead the Resistance?"

"I heard that!" Julie wasn't amused by that comment. She did not like bugs and she wasn't going to stand there while Thomas taunted her with one. "I lead people Thomas, not bugs." Julie yelled back to Thomas but he was walking down the hallway when she turned around.

"I'm right here, there's no need to shout Ms. I lead people. Are you hungry? There's a Cracker Barrel down the road. I could use some food before my shift starts. Wanna join me?" Thomas wanted to find out more about Julie coming alone so he was going to use food as an excuse to talk. He really was hungry, but he wasn't going to tell Julie he had a lunch packed in his car.

"I could eat, I don't think I ever eaten at a Cracker Barrel, what do they serve?" Julie hadn't eaten much during the drive cross country. She has a hard time eating when she is stressed out, but she was relaxing a bit now and her hunger was kicking back in. She just hoped Thomas would leave Mike out of their dinner conversation. She was not in the mood to start crying, especially over food.

"You are just going to have to wait, it's more fun that way. Do you still drink iced tea?"

Julie was a bit surprised that Thomas could remember something so mudane about herself. "Yes, it's still my favorite, is it good here?"

Thomas smiled and reminded Julie to order unsweet tea or she might get more than she bargained for. Thomas looked at Julie and for a moment he swore he felt a connection between the two. He averted his eyes when he realized he was staring at her. "Um, like I said, it's different than L.A."

The two friends were seated at a window table and both ordered unsweet iced tea. Julie loved the decor in the place. She didn't know how to describe it, but it felt homey. The wait staff were very

nice and Julie noticed people smiling at each other as they walked by. "We are definitely not in L.A. People don't look at each other there, I guess people are afraid of getting mugged or something. I am not sure why it's like that, but it is so refreshing to see people make contact with one another. This may sound corny but I feel wanted here, like I am part of the crowd somehow. Does that make sense?" Julie felt her cheeks get hot with embarrassment. She didn't know why she was running her mouth the way she was, she just felt so comfortable here with Thomas.

"Don't be embarrassed Julie, I totally get what you are saying. When I moved back here from Los Angeles I noticed those type of things too. And I'm from here! This is what makes the South so special. So like I said before, welcome to Charleston Julie, and welcome to the South!"

They ate their dinner with light conversation, and as they walked outside together, Thomas brought up what Julie was fearing he would. "So what happened between you and Mr. War hero?" Thomas had to be honest with himself. He has always liked Julie more than just a friend. She was always dating someone else so he never told her. Now that she is here, alone, he hoped for a chance.

"I don't want to talk about it Thomas. It's over between us and I have moved on. There is not much else to say." Obviously Julie was upset at the question and Thomas smiled inwardly. He could be just the man Julie needed to get over Mike.


	5. Chapter 4

_Three months after leaving_

Julie hit the buzzer on her alarm clock and groaned as she rolled over in bed. Her eyes were almost swollen shut and her tongue was dry and felt stuck to the roof of of her mouth. She could not even remember getting into bed last night. Julie had stayed at the hospital working on paperwork a few hours too long for the tenth day in a row. By the time she got home, showered, and into bed Julie only had four hours to sleep before she had to get ready for her next shift. Her body was starting to feel the stress she was putting on it, but she figured the aches and pains helped her stay focused The extra hours she was putting in were wearing down her mental reserves as well, but it was the only thing that could keep her mind off Mike. The only thing that seemed to make life manageable was keeping busy.

Julie laid there in bed thinking about the past three months. So many things had happened, but none of them really filled the empty void she had in her life. Julie liked that she was assigned to the Emergency room for the first round of her residency in Charleston. As in most things, she found herself the star resident. Many people were starstruck with her when she first began at the hospital because almost everyone knew who she was and was the one responsible for the Red Dust. Often people would stop Julie to talk to her about the war and her time on Diana's ship, but Julie usually just gave them a quick answer, smiled, and walked away. She knew people didn't realize the pain those memories stirred up, so she tried to be kind while she kept herself from breaking down. She had hoped the busyness of the ER would help lessen the pain she had from being away from Mike, or at least distract her from it. Neither that nor time made it easier and she found herself more lonely for him as each day passed. As Julie lay in her bed thinking about these things she realized she had drifted off to sleep again and now she only had 20 min to get ready and make her way to the hospital.

As Julie was running around her house trying to get ready, she stopped and noticed her surroundings, really noticing them for the first time. When Julie was settled into her new home, she went out and bought some new furniture. She had walked through the furniture store almost on autopilot and chose one of the first furniture sets she had seen. Now as she looked around, Julie realized how much she hated what she bought. The style was more modern than she liked, and the colors were dark and uninviting. Julie preferred more of a traditional look, something Mike and she had never agreed on. She realized that she had chosen the furniture Mike would have bought. She gave a little laugh thinking how much fun her psych friends would have with this one. The only decorations Julie had brought from home was the picture she grabbed right before she left. She had put the picture on the new dresser in her bedroom, but she eventually had to put it away in a drawer. Every time she looked at the picture it was a painful reminder of what she had left behind. There were days when she would take the picture out and study it. She would gently trace Mike's form with her finger, but she always put it back before she let herself shed any tears. She thought about packing the picture up, as a way to convince herself that she had moved on, but she hasn't found the courage to do so yet.

Julie was finishing getting dressed in her bathroom when she looked in the mirror. She didn't recognize the woman staring back at her. She had dark circles under her eyes, and her face was very pale. Julie never wore makeup anymore, she figured it took up too much of the time she didn't have. She wasn't out to impress anyone anyways, and she honestly wasn't looking to attract a man right now either. But, after seeing how horrible she looked, Julie grabbed her makeup bag and started applying some foundation. 'Maybe, she thought, I would look more like the living with this stuff on.' While she was putting on her mascara, Julie felt a little pain in her stomach. She hadn't eaten breakfast so she blamed it on a hunger cramp. There never were days when Julie felt great, so little pains here and there never worried her. When she finished putting on her makeup she went into the kitchen to grab something to eat. Julie never felt like eating anymore, every bite was a chore but she always made herself anyways. She knew it could be all day before she had the chance to have another bite to eat, and it was never a good idea to pass out from hunger in front of patients. While she was eating, Julie suddenly became very nauseated. She wondered if she had waited too long to eat, and wrapped the last bit of her breakfast to take with her. With her food tucked neatly into her purse, Julie headed for the door.

Julie hoped to avoid running into Thomas today at work. He had been trying incessantly to get Julie to go out with him on a date. He had been coming down to the Emergency room and spending his lunches with her. Julie was trying to be kind to the man because he had helped her so much with moving to Charleston, but she thinks he was getting the wrong idea from their meals together. Thomas showed up at her house on one of her days off about a month ago with flowers and some wine. Julie was having a very rough day and just wanted to slam the door in his face, but she ended up inviting him in. They drank a glass of the wine together, and watched a movie. Thomas kept trying to slide closer to Julie so she eventually moved herself to a small chair on the other side of the room. When the movie was over Julie politely told him good night and showed him to the door. She felt a bit tipsy from the wine and wasn't in the mood to play hostess any longer. Before he left, Thomas surprised Julie by kissing her. Hard. Julie pulled away from him and demanded he leave. It took everything she had not to slap the man across the face. She knew he wanted to blame the wine for her lack of interest, and for reasons she didn't know, she let him believe that. Julie was hoping he would get offended by her lack of affection and back off, but the opposite happened. Thomas also started going around the hospital telling everyone they were dating. Julie didn't have the energy to set everyone straight so she let it be. She wasn't at the hospital to make friends anyways, she was there to work so she kept her head down and ignored what people were saying. Julie stopped taking Thomas' calls while at home and stopped answering the door when he would show up unannounced. It saddened her to lose one of her only friends in Charleston, but she wasn't sure how far Thomas would expect her to go if she kept accepting his invitations. Where Thomas was concerned, Julie decided to play it safe and keep to herself. He wasn't giving up easily, but Julie did her best to ignore him.

Mike sat in a lawyers office, picking at his jacket while he waited for his appointment with the attorney. After the war, his mother's estate went into probate, and it was now about to be released. Since Mike was his mother's only child, and her estranged husband Arthur was nowhere to be found, he was given everything. He had known she had a lot of money squirreled away, but he hadn't expected her to have as much as she did. Mike only hoped that none of the money was from financial gifts from the Visitors. Everyone knew they gave supporters financial gifts, but Mike hoped his mother's preference to jewelery kept monetary gifts to a minimum. Mike's skin crawled thinking of his mother so close to the Visitors. She had to have seen what monsters they really were. Even with their differences, and the fact that she tried to shoot him, Mike still loved his mother deep down. He wished he would have done more to get her out of the Visitor's fierce grip, but Mike knew it would have been a hopeless fight.

Mike had decided that once he had the money in his accounts, he was going to quit his job and concentrate on finding Julie. He recently looked up the cost of a private detective and found an ex-cop who seemed to be a good fit for him. The price for this guy was steep, but now that Mike wouldn't have to worry about money, he was willing to shell out the dough.

Mike was still upset, three months later, over the call back from Rodney Cane three days after he talked with him. He had called with bad news. He couldn't find anyone to help Mike search for Julie. Mike wanted to ask if Rodney had really asked around, but the guy had gone through so much Mike wasn't going to push it. Rodney had given him an answer and he was going to have to live with it. Mike decided to take Ham's advice and give Julie some time and wait for her to call him. He really didn't have much of a choice about waiting anyways because he couldn't figure out a way to find her. He had gone back to work two weeks after Julie had left. He had no reason not to work while he waited for Julie to make the next move.

As he waited impatiently for his attorney to stop yapping on the phone, Mike was thinking about the past three months. Eventually Mike got around to calling Ham and apologized for the way he reacted when Julie first left. He was still upset that Ham wouldn't tell him where Julie went, but he knew the man would keep a promise to the grave if he had to. Mike respected that about Ham Tyler, even if it was working against him right now. The two men had begun to spend more time together once again, and Julie only came up in their conversation once. Ham asked Mike if he had heard from her at all. When Mike told him "no" the subject was never brought up again.

Mike thought about Julie all the time though. Even if he didn't talk about it with his friends, he missed her terribly. Reminders were everywhere in their house, and Mike refused to take any of them down or put anything of hers away. He was still determined to get Julie back, and he wanted her to come home to the house the way she left it. He usually found himself laughing when he went around the house picking up the dirty clothes he randomly slung over the furniture. Julie had always been annoyed with Mike's lack of cleanliness. She would go on and on about how he had left towels on the bathroom floor and socks in the hallway. Now that he was the one picking up after himself he knew she was right and Mike made a mental note to change that when Julie came home. He knew most people felt sorry for him, not only because Julie left, but because they thought he was convincing himself she was coming back. He didn't care what others thought though, and tried to avoid most of those people or anyone like them. He wanted people who were honest with him, but also would encourage Mike to keep his hope alive. Those type of people were few and far between, but he wasn't looking to win a popularity contest, he just wanted to find Julie and bring her home!

To take his mind off Julie, Mike had gone to see Sean a few times since she left. It was always painful to see Sean fighting the affects from the conversion process. The special school Sean was in was filled with kids just like him. They didn't fit in with their families anymore, but someone loved them enough to put them somewhere they could be dealt with in a loving way. At the home, he was able to get group therapy along with personal therapy. He had anger management classes, and was in some type of class usually used to deprogram people who had become mixed up in a cult, but the same therapy techniques were working on the converted kids. Mike had fought putting Sean in this place for a while after the war ended. He wanted to be able to help Sean himself, but Julie finally convinced him this was the best thing for the young teen. Sean had kept them up screaming from nightmares night after night and had been arrested five times for breaking and entering. He never communicated with Mike or Julie and trying to physically keep him home was near impossible. Mike finally gave in but it always sat sour in his stomach. He felt like he abandoned his son. Julie always tried to comfort Mike and show him the good reasons for keeping Sean there, and Mike needed her when he had left these past few times. He came home angry and depressed and wanting her more than ever. Sometimes the only thing Julie could do to help Mike through the aftermath of his visits was to give him her unconditional love she gave during their love making. Mike was always honest with his emotions when he made love to her. Together they worked through his turmoil and usually life would be better, for a little while anyways. Mike was frustrated because he just wanted to call Julie to tell her how it went with Sean. When reality hit home and he knew he wasn't going to be able to do that, Mike became angry again. The only thing that gave Mike any comfort was being pretty sure Julie had to be working on reversing the conversion process wherever she was. He was unsure about how long he could continue to visit Sean the way he was, and prayed Julie was making a break through. Mike did wonder if she would contact him when she figured how to deconvert someone. He knew she loved Sean almost like her own son, and Mike couldn't imagine she would just forget the poor kid in spite of her leaving Mike.

Before this meeting had been set up with his attorney, Mike thought about contacting Robin, but he hadn't seen or talked to her since he went to her house to get the letter after Julie left. He secretly wished he could get a peak at Robin's phone bill, but that was about as much as he wanted to do with the girl. He was sure she would have talked to Julie by now, and he could trace her from the new phone number. The two friends had become so close, and Julie loved Elizabeth dearly. He never really liked her young mother so it was almost a blessing to not have to put up with her anymore. Mike doubted that Robin would even take his call after the way he treated her. He would have to do some serious sucking up, and Mike wasn't going to put himself through that torture.

Mike was getting antsy. He had been sitting here waiting for almost half an hour. With the amount of money he had to shell out to this lawyer, Mike thought the least he could do was hurry up! His mind wandered back to Julie, and he knew she wasn't going to be calling him if she hadn't called by now. She was a stubborn woman and could hold out for an exceptional amount of time. He knew he needed to start figuring something out. He wanted to find Julie, and he wanted to find her now. Mike was afraid that too much time might go by, he wanted to reach her before she lost all the love she had for him, if there was any left to lose. Mike feared she might even start to date someone else, and he could not live with that. He knew Julie was meant to be with him, and he was going to have to be the one to prove it to her. The best bet for him was going to be the private detective.

Finally he was called into the office and had his meeting with the attorney. Once Mike had the check from his mother's estate, he headed straight to the bank. He needed that money in his account so he could start paying the detective right away. Once the very long and somewhat probing transaction was done at the bank, Mike headed home to quit his job. He had enough money to survive for the next 30 or 40 years, so he wasn't going to keep a job Julie hated. He just wished he would have told her about the money before she left. His plan had been to surprise her with a diamond ring and a romantic trip somewhere. When Julie was completely relaxed and enjoying herself, Mike was going to ask her to marry him. That idea had flown straight out the window when Julie left. Mike knew he was still going to buy that ring. He had picked it out months ago and now he can walk into the store and slap down the $12,000 it cost. Only a Tiffany's engagement ring was good enough for Julie's finger. After all Julie sacrificed for everyone else during the war, she deserves the best. He knew she would have chosen a much smaller, less extravagant ring, but Mike wasn't going to let her choose. This is what she deserves, and he is going to find her and put that ring on her finger!


	6. Chapter 5

As Julie reached for the door handle to leave a wave of nausea hit her again, but this time it was followed by the pain in her stomach. She had to brace herself on the door before the wave subsided. Julie decided to sit down for a moment before heading to the hospital. She started to feel strange and a bit lightheaded so she worried about driving now. As she sat on her couch, Julie noticed that she was starting to sweat. She always kept her air conditioning at a higher temperature because she was gone so much, but she had become accustom to the warmth. Julie's mind was racing as she started to put her symptoms together. She noticed that the more she would sweat, the harder it was for her to take in a deep breath. 'this has to be an anxiety attack,' she thought. Even though Julie never suffered from anxiety she wanted to blame something to reassure herself that she was OK.

Ten minutes later Julie's symptoms were getting worse and she was starting to doubt her original 'diagnosis." She decided to call the hospital and talk to her supervisor, who was also a trauma surgeon. Julie was shaking so much when she went to dial that it took her three times to hit the right numbers. She closed her eyes and laid back against the couch to brace herself while she talked.

"Emergency room, this is Carla speaking, how may I direct your call?" The familiar voice on the other line was of little comfort to Julie.

"Carla, this is Dr. Parrish, can I please speak to Dr. Lobby. I need to SPEAK to her, no message please." Julie hoped she was in, the doctor kept a regular schedule but was hard to reach by phone.

Julie heard the phone transfer, "Dr. Lobby speaking, how can I help you?" Julie was relieved to hear the doctor's voice.

"Kim, this is Julie, can you help me with something please?" Julie was trying to keep her voice as calm as she could even though she was panicking on the inside.

"Of course Julie, what do you need?" Dr. Lobby was always willing to help her residents, as long as it didn't interfere with her days off. She spent those days at her farm, riding horses with her kids.

"I am," the pain in Julie's chest became a stabbing pain and it took away her breath. She panted and sat straight up trying to catch her breath, but no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't get enough air. "I...need...Oh no!" The realization of what was happening hit Julie like a ton of bricks. She was having a heart attack, she should have recognized the symptoms right away. Julie was stunned as she realized the danger she was in. She had been having symptoms for a hour or so now, and a lot of damage could have been done to her cardiac muscles. She needed to get to the hospital now if she had any hopes for surviving.

"Julie, are you OK? Dr. Lobby waited for an answer, but none came. "Julie, answer me, what is wrong? Can you hear me Julie? JULIE? Are you there?

"Help...I need...Help...amb...ulance...please!" Julie was only able to mutter a few words before her world started to spin. The phone receiver fell out of her hand as she fell back against the couch cushions. Julie started feeling like someone, a very big someone, was sitting on her chest, and it took every ounce of strength to keep herself breathing.

What seemed like hours to Julie passed as she lay there on her couch wondering how her life could have ended up like this. She was dying alone in a house far from everyone she loved. Who would tell Mike that she had died. Would he actually care that she was gone? The pain increased and Julie could only think about what was happening in her body now. 15 minutes after she called the ER an ambulance arrived at her house. Dr. Lobby had hung up when Julie dropped the phone and called 911. Julie could hear people outside her door, but she couldn't get up to let them in. Somewhere in the distance she heard something break and then muffled voices. Everything started to look dim and Julie felt like all she wanted to do was go to sleep.

"heart...attack..." Julie told herself to keep repeating those two words over and over hoping the EMS would figure out what was wrong with her.

"Miss, can you hear me? Ma'am, what is wrong with you?" The head EMT was face to face with Julie. There couldn't have been more than two inches between them as he tried to get Julie to focus on him. He could hear her mumbling something quietly and yelled to his team so he could hear. "Quiet everyone, she's saying something..."

"heart...attack...heart...atta..."Julie lost consciousness before she could get the last of the word out.

"Woman thinks she is having a heart attack, looks too young for that if you ask me!" The youngest EMT of the group was a cocky new recruit and had been irritating everyone with his mouth.

"Whatever it is, she needs to get going now! We don't have much time with this one." The leader started barking orders and had Julie in the ambulance en route to the hospital in less than five minutes.

Mike pulled up to a beaten down old building on the east side of L.A. He never came over to this side of town much and hoped his car would be safe while he ran inside to talk to the detective. He had set a meeting for 2 p.m. but had arrived 30 minutes early. Mike put his car in park and pulled out the paperwork the guy had sent him to fill out. There were 115 questions that Mike had painstakingly answered about Julie. Some were very personal questions that Mike hesitated to answer, but he figured there was a reason they were asked, so he finally filled them in. Mike knew Julie would be mad if she knew some of the things he revealed, but at this point in time, he didn't care. He would deal with any repercussions from his actions after he had Julie back home.

Mike tried to pass the time until his appointment by listening to the radio. Los Angeles had made some great strides in rebuilding the city after the war ended, but radio stations were obviously low on the list. Mike could only find a few talk radio stations to come in, along with a Spanish music station, and a classical station. Frustrated he turned the radio off.

As he was tapping on the steering wheel getting some of his nervous energy out, a man came and knocked on Mike's window. 'Crap, I forgot my gun,' Mike wished he had brought along his tiny revolver he liked to carry with him. Since the war he had a hard time trusting many people, and he liked to have something for protection in case he ran into trouble. Julie thought he was just being paranoid and looking for trouble. Mike even tried to get her to carry one, but she refused, wanting to put her gun toting days behind her.

"Can I help you?" Mike rolled his window down far enough to speak to the stranger, who turned out to be a big guy. He had short spiky hair and dark mirrored glasses on.

"You wouldn't happen to be Mike would you?" The man had a much higher voice than Mike expected. It was almost comical in pitch and Mike had to keep himself from snickering at the man. "Who's asking?"

"I can tell you this, If you ain't Mike, you best be getting that car off my lot or I will make you sorry you decided to park there!" The man leaned in as close to Mike as he could get with the window in between them.

"You must be Rusty...Yes, I'm Mike. Nice to meet you!" Mike rolled the window down the rest of the way and shoved his hand in the man's face. "  
>Rusty ignored the offered hand and started to walk away, but yelled back at Mike, "come on inside, we have business to deal with."<p>

Mike complied and followed the burly man into the decrepit building. It smelled just as bad as it looked and Mike tried to breathe through his mouth avoiding the smell. He was led into a small room with a desk and two chairs. One chair was on each side of the desk, and that was all he could see. There were no pictures on the wall, nothing that showed the detective's credentials. Mike wondered if he had made a very wrong choice by picking this guy, but he decided to give him a few minutes to make his case. Mike figured since he would have never be friends with a guy like Ham, yet now he was his closest friend, it couldn't hurt to give this guy a chance. Thinking about Ham, Mike wished he had brought the former CIA agent along. Ham was a good judge of character, and Mike trusted his opinion.

After both men were sitting across from each other, the detective reached into his jacket and produced a notepad and pen. "you brought the paperwork I sent? If you don't mind, I would like to take a few minutes to look them over."

Mike hesitantly handed over the paperwork and watched as Rusty studied it. Occasionally the man would write something down on his pad of paper, but he never looked up at Mike. Mike was dying to ask what he was writing, but was afraid of interrupting the man's concentration so he kept quiet.

After about 20 minutes, Rusty put the paperwork down and studied his notes. He took his glasses off and Mike noticed a scar across his right eye. The glasses had completely covered it up, and the scar gave him an even tougher look than before. Mike couldn't help staring at the scar, when the man looked up and saw Mike staring, he nodded towards the scar and asked "product of war?"

"Mmmmm," Rusty nodded slightly but then moved on to his assessment. Mike figured there was a bad memory associated with the scar, so he left the subject alone. "This should be an easy job. She may not have told you where she went, but she did tell others. She is pretty well known in this country, and you say she is probably working at some hospital. I should have her location in less than a week. Brought the money with you? I don't work until you have paid the whole fee up front. NO exceptions!"

Mike produced a wad of cash and slapped it on Rusty's desk. "Five thousand dollars cash, it's all there in one hundred dollar bills like you asked. Feel free to count it out now, I can wait."

Rusty licked his lips at the sight of the money Mike put before him. He hadn't had much money since the war ended, and this payday was just the boost Rusty needed to get his feet off the ground. "If you don't mind, I'm gonna. I'll do it in front of ya so there ain't no question in either of our minds."

As Rusty counted the money, Mike caught sight of a ring on Rusty's smallest finger. It looked like it was made from pounding a cheap thin metallic material. It was artistic, but Mike couldn't help but think it was opposite from the ring he was going to buy Julie. He thought back to the day he first went to Tiffany's. He got some pretty nasty looks when he went there last time. He could never have afforded the ring back then. The lady behind the counter had hesitated when he asked to look at the ring closer. She eventually unlocked the case and handed Mike the ring, but he noticed she silently motioned the security guard over closer to them. Once he gave the ring back and decided that was the one, Mike had asked if they could hold the ring until he came back. He was discouraged when they told him he would have to put down half the cost of the ring, and Mike didn't have $6,000 at the time, so he left not knowing if he would ever see it again. Right now all he wanted to do was get out of this foul office and go get that ring. He hoped the same lady was working today, he couldn't wait to see the look on her face when he slapped down enough cash to buy the ring.

"OK, everything seems to be in order. If you will just sign this receipt of payment, you can get out of here and I will go find your lady friend.

Mike was pulled back to reality from his daydream. He looked at the paper quickly and then signed where the man had made a sloppy x. As Mike stood up to leave, he gave the man his hand once again. This time Rusty took it and smiled as he said goodbye.

Mike sat in his idling car a moment. He couldn't help himself from getting excited. He could possibly know where Julie was within the week. Mike found himself truly smiling for the first time in three months, he put his car in gear and headed towards Tiffany's.


	7. Chapter 6

"Dr. Parrish...can you open your eyes for me?" "Dr. Parrish...I need you to open your eyes!" Julie heard whoever was shouting at her, but she didn't want to open her eyes. She was too tired to wake up, and it was a bit irritating that someone was bothering her, so she kept her eyes shut, hoping they would go away.

"Dr. Parrish...come on Julie, open your eyes!" "I'm not going anywhere so you might as well open your eyes, you will get pretty tired of me bothering you Dr. Parrish, so open 'em up!"

Julie figured that whoever was shouting at her really wasn't going to go away until she actually obeyed them, so fighting against everything her body was screaming at her to do, Julie tried to open her eyes. She found it much harder to do than usual, but she kept forcing them open.

"That's it, wake up for me!" Julie was getting more annoyed by whoever was saying these things. She was doing everything she could to open her eyes, why wouldn't they just relax and give her a moment. As Julie finally opened her eyes a crack, she was assaulted by bright lights and slammed them shut again. "Come on Dr. Parrish, lets wake up." For the first time since she heard the voice, she realized whoever it was, they were calling her Dr. Parrish. This confused Julie even more, so she was more motivated to get her eyes open and see where she was and who was bothering her.

Julie tried opening her eyes once again, this time she was able to keep them open a bit. When she looked around she thought the place looked familiar. "Wh...", Julie tried to ask where she was, but her voice didn't seem to be working.

"Well, hi there Dr. Parrish, welcome back to us." Julie realized the voice she had heard telling her to wake up was Dr. Roble. He was one of the ER doctors Julie had worked with recently. She looked around some more and the realization hit her that she was in the ER...she was a patient in her ER. Her memories of what had happened before she passed out came flooding back to her, and she began to panic. She tried to get up but her body wasn't doing what she asked of it. This compounded her fear and she began thrashing around trying to get up and out of bed.

"Whoa there doctor, you are OK, just calm down." Dr. Roble's soothing voice was trying to get Julie back under control. He held Julie down by her shoulders and talked quietly into her ear. "Dr. Parrish, you are OK now, we have you stabilized, you are OK!"

Julie started to calm down when she heard Dr. Roble's soothing words. Once she was still again her mind started assaulting her with questions. She had about a thousand she wanted to ask him, but her voice failed her. All she was able to do was mouth a few things. "how did this happen? How much damage? Can someone call my mom?"

Dr. Roble smiled down at Julie. By her questions, he knew she was finally coming around. "There will be time for all those questions later. Right now we need to get some more tests on you and get you admitted to a room. I will come up and chat with you when we know more OK?

"OK," Julie whispered her acceptance of his suggestion and decided she wanted to close her eyes again and just rest.

"Keep your eyes open for us Dr. Parrish, we want to see that you are still with us." A nurse in the room leaned over Julie and waited for her to open her eyes again. "That's good, stay with us doctor and we will let you rest soon, OK?"

Julie nodded and did everything she could to keep her eyes open. She was then wheeled out of the ER and to her tests.

Two hours later, all of Julie's tests had been done and she was left alone in her hospital room. Someone had called her mother and Julie was told that she said she was on her way. It had been a long time since Julie had actually seen or talked to her mom, but she was happy to know she was coming. Julie felt so alone right now and needed someone here with her. In a different time it would have been Mike by her bedside going through this with her, but now that wasn't going to happen. Julie couldn't fight the tears that sprang to her eyes, and as she painfully rolled over in the hospital bed, Julie let herself cry. She had been so afraid of dying alone in her new house. Now that she was safe in the hospital, Julie found herself overwhelmed by everything that had happened.

After she had cried herself dry, Julie fell asleep. When she woke, the only sound she heard were the monitors hooked up to different parts of her body. She laid there for a few minutes, but she didn't know what to do. She wasn't one to sit still for very long, and now that she was confined to a hospital bed, she was feeling restless. Her body hurt all over, especially when she took deep breaths. She found out during one of her tests that the EMS had done CPR on her. The doctors suspected she had a broken rib, but the results of the chest x-ray were not in yet.

Julie decided to watch a bit of television while she laid in bed, but she couldn't reach to turn it on. She decided to call the nurse for some pain medication, and Julie hoped she could help with the T.V. too. "I'm helpless." Julie muttered out loud testing her returning voice.

"Don't say that Dr. Parrish, you need to keep a positive attitude to help yourself recover faster!" Julie's nurse was walking in and heard her. She was a younger nurse, one Julie never remembered seeing before.

"Please, my name is Julie. Right now I am the patient, not the doctor, so please stop calling me Dr. Parrish. It's driving me crazy!" Julies throat hurt when she talked, but the last thing she wanted was for everyone to call her doctor right now. Julie knew most of the people giving her care, and many of the things they had to do were very intimate. There was no place for formalities in her hospital room.

"I'm sorry Julie, the head nurse told us to call you Dr. Parrish. She said you would get mad if we didn't respect who you were." The nurse acted a bit nervous telling Julie this, and almost looked regretful for doing so.

Julie rolled her eyes, wondering where she got a reputation like that. "Julie is just fine, hey do you know when my mom said she was suppose to get here?" Julie was anxious to have someone else with her at the hospital.

"I'm not sure, I wasn't given any information regarding any visitors when you came. I can check though, if you want me to." The nurse checked Julie's IV medication and made some notes. "Did you need some more pain meds?" She kept trying to avoid eye contact with Julie, and after fiddling around with some of her tubing, she waited for a reply. Julie nodded and before she could say anything else, the nurse left. Julie looked at the clock and was happy to see the next shift was about to start.

Twenty minutes later Dr. Roble knocked on Julie's door and walked in. He was a tall man, with dark balding hair. Julie thought he looked a bit like Ham, but with softer features. He carried a big envelope in with him that he laid down at Julie's feet. He pulled a chair up to her bedside and sat down. "I am waiting on some of the test results still, but I thought I would come and give you what I have for now."

Julie respected this doctor more than most and always felt comfortable talking with him. He had been known to be hard on residents but she had watched him with patients before and was surprised that a man who seemed so burly could be so gentle. "Did I have an MI?" Those words felt weird to Julie as she said them, but she needed to know. Someone her age usually didn't have heart attacks unless something else was wrong.

"Well yes, it seems as though you did. We can't seem to figure out how though. There seems to be some damage to your heart, but some of it doesn't seem to be recent, have you had heart trouble in the past?"

Julie thought back to her time on Diana's ship, they had her drugged so her memory was blurry, but she remembered something happening, and she thought it could have been her heart. "I think something happened once, but I don't know what it was. I never had it checked out because I didn't think it was anything worth looking into. Guess that was a mistake."

"Well, we want to run some more tests in the next few days, there is also a chance you might need surgery. We should know after a few more tests. I have called the best cardiologist we have in the hospital. He will be here tomorrow to go over the test results we have already and take over your care. Until then, try and be a good girl and stay out of trouble." Dr. Roble smiled and patted Julie on the leg. He stood up to go and remembered the x-rays he brought. He walked over to the light panel on the wall and put up one of the films."You don't have any broken ribs, but they will probably be pretty bruised up tomorrow." He stepped aside and let Julie look where he was pointing. "Is someone coming to be with you?"

Julie was touched by the softness in the doctors voice, and found herself tearing up. She looked away, trying to blink the tears into remission. "My mom is coming soon, thanks for asking."

Dr. Roble seemed to be content with her answer, he smiled once again, said "Ok then, see you soon doctor," then left.

Julie let her head fall back onto the soft hospital pillow. 'Tonight,' she though, 'was gonna be a long night!' 

Mike was startled by the ringing phone. He had been concentrating on a box of hamburger macaroni, wondering how he never realized how much he hated to cook. Julie always made meals on her days off and froze them for when she was gone. He loved having something to just take out of the freezer and pop into the oven. He was good at heating things, but now that he had been alone, dinner was mostly boxed foods that didn't take much time or effort to cook, or takeout.

As Mike walked to the phone, he grabbed a magnet off the fridge. He had decided that pizza would be a much better dinner and he threw the boxed dinner into the trash. Picking up the phone Mike spoke into the handset, but his mind was on his grumbling stomach. "Hello?"

"Mr. Donovan, this is Rusty, got a sec?"

"Hey there Rusty, I have one for you. Do you need more information or something?" Mike had hoped the next time he talked to Rusty he would be getting information on Julie.

"Nope, I gotcha that info you wanted. You got your pen ready?" Rusty was not one to waste any time apparently, and Mike was taken off guard by his news.

"You know where she is already? It's only been a day. How is that possible?" Mike was shocked!

"I have friends at the DMV. They looked her up, and found her car registered in South Carolina."

"I paid you five thousand dollars to make a phone call? " Mike was happy he was getting the information on Julie, but it peeved him to have paid so much for something so easy for the man.

"No, you gave me five thousand dollars to have connections and find your girl. You want the last of the information or do you want to keep talking about money?"  
>"Whatever you have, go ahead and give it to me!" Mike grabbed a pen and the closest thing he could find to write on.<p>

"That's what I thought, ok, so she..." Rusty gave Mike all the information he had on Julie, which wasn't a lot, but it was enough for him to track her down.

Mike started writing down the information Rusty rattled off as fast as he could. He didn't want to miss anything the man said. "Wow, that's perfect Rusty. Thank you, this will help so much, more than you'll ever know!"

"Well all right then, you're welcome...you need anything else, call me. Later Mr. Donovan! Oh, and enjoy that lady of yours!" He hung up not waiting for Mike to respond.

Mike stood there with the phone receiver in his hand. He couldn't stop staring at the information Rusty had given him. She had gone to Charleston, SC. Of all places she could have gone, she chose the south? Mike knew that the south would have been the last place he would have looked for Julie. She was more of a city girl. She liked being where the action is, and the south just never seem to be that in Mike's mind. He figured she wanted to be somewhere different than he expected, it also seems she wanted to be as far away from Mike as she could get and still stay in the U.S. 'She had accomplished what she had set out for,' Mike thought. "Watch out doc, here I come!" Mike's voice sounded weird to him when he called out to the empty space in his kitchen. He was so happy to have a lead that he forgot all about his pizza and ran upstairs to pack. He was going to head to the airport tonight and tomorrow he was going to have Julie back in his arms!


	8. Chapter 7

Mike strolled up to the United ticket counter at Los Angeles International airport at 9 pm and bought a flight with the least amount of transfers to Charleston, SC. He decided to splurge and bought a first class ticket for himself. He had the money to spend now, and he knew he would be cramped sitting in one of the other sections for the long flight. He needed to stretch out and try to relax, his nerves were getting the best of him right now.

Mike had spent some time calling hospitals in the Charleston area before heading to the airport, and he found Julie at the third one. Mike had been transferred to the floor he figured she was working on, but he hung up the phone right before she could answer. He wanted to surprise Julie in person. Mike knew where she was now, and that was all that mattered.

Mike was relieved he had bought Julie's ring earlier in the day. Even though he originally thought he was going to hold onto it for a while, he was glad Rusty came through sooner than expected. The ring was packed safely in his carry on luggage, but Mike was regretting not just keeping it in his pocket. He was worried about losing the ring along with the special moment he had planned for Julie and himself.

There were no issues going through security for Mike and he found himself sitting in a chair by the departure gate with what he thought was an hour before boarding. Mike started daydreaming about Julie and the expression she would give him when he came strolling up to her. He was hoping she would be so surprised that she jumps right into his arms. He would slowly take her head into his hands and...

"Now boarding for Flight 783 non-stop to Atlanta, GA. Pre-boarding will begin for first class ticket holders and travelers with children. Please line up to board and have your boarding passes ready." Mike was pulled out of his daydream by the intercom announcement of his flight boarding. He was sure an hour had not gone by, but he wasn't going to complain if they boarded the plane early. Hopefully it will take off earlier than he had expected. The sooner they left, the sooner he would be holding Julie in his arms once again.

As Mike handed his ticket to the Flight attendant he realized he had forgotten his bag back on the seat. "One second, I forgot my bag!" Mike was about to step away from the attendant but she stopped him for a moment.

"Sir, if your bag has been left unattended, it will have to go back through security. We cannot take the risk that someone slipped anything into it while you were away from it."

That got Mike livid. He was not going to miss his plane. "Will the plane wait for me? I have to be on this flight! How do we make sure I am on board that plane?"

"Sir, the only way we can make sure you are able to board is if you check your bag. That way it can be scanned with the other checked luggage. Would you like to do that instead?"

Mike sighed a bit, but he was still adamant about not checking Julie's ring. He didn't care much about the other contents in the bag, and was willing to check those. He ran back and grabbed his bag and as he was walking up to the counter he slipped the ring out of the bag and quickly put it into his coat pocket. He had hoped no one saw him, but as he looked up, he knew the flight attendant had.

"Sir, I'm going to have to see what you took out of the bag before we can let you board. We don't mean to cause you delays, but you appeared sneaky, and that sends out red flags for us. Would you please put the box on the counter so we can take a look?" The attendant was trying to smile at Mike as though nothing unusual was happening.

Mike eyed the lady for a moment. So many thoughts were running through his mind, but he decided that even though it was annoying him, he would cooperate just to get on that plane.

"Here!" Mike slapped the box down on the counter. "This is a ring for my fiance in Charleston. I don't want it to be out of my sight, so I slipped it into my pocket for safe keeping."

The girls at the counter wanted Mike to open the box. He knew they were curious about the contents and he was willing to give into their curiosity, as long as they said he could get on that plane. When Mike opened the box he could see envy in their eyes. "You sure you don't want to give that beauty to someone like me? I'm available and I am right here!" The blonded attendant winked at Mike as she spoke.

"I'm sorry lady I love one special woman, and she is waiting for me in Charleston." Mike gave the women a half smile. He slipped the ring back into his pocket and hoped their curiosity was satisfied.

"So now I am good to board right ladies?" Mike tried making puppy dog eyes so they would take pity on him and let him board.

One of the ladies looked at him with a twinkle in her eye and smiled. "OK sir go on in, just remember to treat that woman of yours well, she must be special if she's worth that ring!"

"Oh, I plan on that, don't you worry." Mike almost ran into the walkway to the plane, and it felt surreal knowing he was flying to see Julie. He had waited for what seemed like a lifetime to find her, and now that he was on his way to see her again, he really could not believe it.

An hour into the flight Mike realized he had forgotten to call Martin and tell him where he was going, and that he was going to miss their monthly visit. Mike knew how much Martin relied on these visits. It was hard enough on him when Julie left, now that Mike won't be around for a while, well Mike felt pretty bad about leaving him like that. Mike made a mental note to call Martin after he landed and got settled in Charleston. Now that he was thinking of calling Martin, it made him think about Ham too. Ham had been such a great friend to Mike, even though he wouldn't tell him where Julie was. Ham knew how to keep Mike's mind occupied so he wouldn't obsess about Julie. Ham was his most honest friend. When Mike brought him some idea about how to find Julie, or a plan on how to steal information to find her, Ham would always bring Mike back to reality. They had a lot of days during the war where they broke the law, any law to protect people, and Ham reminded Mike that those days were over. Things didn't work the same way now. There were protocols that needed to be followed. Those conversations usually angered Mike, but after all was said and done, he thanked and respected Ham for his input. In the rush to get to Charleston, Mike realized he had forgotten many phone calls. Mike figured he would just deal with all the secondary issues after he was settled back with Julie. That was his main focus right now anyways.

Mike decided to try and take a rest while the plane brought him closer to his new future. He closed his eyes, and tilted the chair back as far as it could go, which in all honesty Mike had never had such a comfortable ride in a plane before. Most planes he had been in, he had flown, and the occasional plane he was a passenger in, he was always very squished and uncomfortable. Julie on the other hand could sit very comfortably and she always laughed at Mike trying to squeeze into the smaller seats in coach. She always tried to get him to upgrade, but he never felt like he had the money to do that, but today was a very different day!

_12a.m. In Julie's hospital room_

_ Beep,...beep...beep...beep, _Julie could not stop her mind from hearing the quiet beeping her heart monitor kept making. She had asked the nurses to turn it down, but apparently she needs to ask them to just turn it off. She had not been able to get any sleep since she was brought up to her room because of all the people coming in and out for different tests, questions, and signing papers. Now that it seemed like the three ring circus that had been her life earlier today was gone, she couldn't sleep because of the beeping. "I'm suppose to be resting people...a little help here?" Julie was frustrated and she found herself yelling at the nurses station just beyond her door. She didn't care much if anyone heard her, she just needed to express her frustrations. She knew eventually someone would care enough to ask about her ramblings or she would eventually find sleep. Julie grinned at herself. Doctors were always said to be the worst patients, and she was proving that theory correct.

Just as Julie was about to start another ramblings about her hospital care she got a visitor. Julie's mom poked her head into the dark room about three inches and whispered "Juliet, Juliet are you in here darling?"

"Mom, why are you whispering, turn the light on and come in! I'm so glad you made it, how was your trip?" Julie just about jumped out of bed to run to her mother. She was so lonely for someone she loved. When her mother saw Julie making her way out of bed, she put a stop to it. "Juliet Parrish, get back into bed right now! No woman who has just had a heart attack should be out of bed, you are a doctor Julie, use that degree we paid for will you?"

Julie stopped mid motion at her mom's barking and got back into bed. Even though her mom had a history of being a bit overbearing and treating her adult kids like children, Julie was so happy to see her. She really did love her mom, and knew she would take good care of her. Julie could tolerate the other stuff right now.

"OK Mom, you are right, I am staying in bed. I actually don't feel that bad, just a little sore from earlier today." Julie's mom walked right up next to Julie's bed and got face to face with her daughter. "You have always been the strong one Julie, you have always been "fine". Look where that got you? Huh? Look Julie, you are in a hospital, not because you are a doctor, but because you pushed yourself too hard. You always push yourself too hard. What am I to do with you?" Julie looked into her mother's eyes and saw something there that she had never seen before, at least not aimed at herself. Julie saw pity. She wasn't sure if it was pity because of the heart attack, or pity because she chose a life that led down a hard road that has left her alone once again. No matter the reason, seeing that in her mother's eyes took Julie aback. She had expected to see love and comfort and acceptance. Had she changed so much that those feelings her mother use to have for her were now gone, used up, or misplaced because of the choices she had made? Julie felt defeated, she knew her mom would be there to help her, but the pity in her eyes might be too much for Julie to handle. She needed support, encouragement, and good old fashion mother's guilt to get her back on her feet again. If what she saw was real, Julie might be on her own in this, and the thought of that exhausted her. She suddenly felt the energy she had when her mom first came into the room wither and die and the replacement was lethargy and self doubt. Julie was amazed that one person could have such an impact on another.

"I'm glad you are here mom, but I am pretty tired. Do you want to go and stay at my place tonight?" Julie wanted her mom to stay with her at the hospital, she did not want to spend her first night in the hospital alone, but she wanted to give her mom a choice.

"Juliet Parrish, do you really think I am going to fly all the way from New York to South Carolina in the middle of the night just to go and sleep in your bed while you are here alone? Shame on you for thinking that. I am your mother and I am going to stay right here and make sure you are taken care of. Do you understand?" Julie's mom made a quick once over of the room then opened all the cupboards and drawers looking for places to put her bags. "Now where on earth is the extra bed? I know these new hospitals have beds that hide for when family comes to stay, this room is so tiny, where on earth could it be?"

"I have to call for a cot mom. Are you sure you can handle sleeping on a small hospital cot?

"Please, I have slept on way worse for lesser things. It doesn't matter how comfortable it is, what matters is that I am here with you."

Julie was warmed by her mom's loyalty. She must have misjudged what she saw in her mom's eyes, and Julie had to fight back tears that were threatening to slip down her face. Julie and her mom had not really talked in a long time, their communication was always short and to the point. During the war there was no real way for Julie to contact her parents, so when the war was over and she was finally able to contact them, they had become bitter at her for the lack of information. She has been trying to repair that bridge for months now, and it touched Julie's heart that her mom seemed to be trying to show her affection once again.


	9. Chapter 8

Mike was jolted awake when the plane hit a pocket of air that bounced him around a little. He tried to take a look at his watch, but his eyes were still blurry from sleep. He looked out the window next to his seat and only saw darkness with an occasional blip of light below.

Mike felt a little rested, but his body begged him for just a little more sleep. He needed to know where they were before he could allow himself a little more rest, and when the flight attendant stuck her head through the heavy dark blue curtain at the front of first class, Mike waved her over.

"Where are we, and what time is it?" Mike was tired so he was quick and to the point. The flight attendant, cute and young Mike noted, held up a finger to him telling him to wait a moment. She walked back behind the curtain and Mike figured she was going to ask the pilot where they were. While Mike was waiting, he looked around the first class section on the plane. It was almost empty, except for himself and one other man who looked like an overworked businessman. The man had his seat laid almost completely back and was snoring quietly. 'At least he was able to sleep through the turbulence' Mike thought.

After a few minutes the flight attendant pushed her way through the curtain once again and walked straight towards Mike. She had a smile on her face which made her features even more beautiful. If it was a different day Mike probably would have flirted with the girl, maybe even gone farther if she was willing, but Mike only had Julie on his mind today, and so his thoughts on her beauty were just observations. "Sir, we are over Eastern Texas right now and it's 3a.m. central time." The girl looked like she had more to say, but just stood there quietly looking at Mike.

"Thank you," Mike was relieved that he had at least an hour before the plane would be starting its descent down to the Atlanta International airport for his connecting flight. He hoped to be able to fall back asleep for a few minutes if he could.

The flight attendant stood there for another moment then looked to have found her courage, "You are welcome. May I ask you a question sir?" her face flushed a bit and she did not keep eye contact with Mike when she talked to him. "Sure, what is it?" Mike was trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice, he really just wanted to be left alone so he could sleep.

"Are you Mike Donovan? THE Mike Donovan from the L.A. Resistance" The flight attendant giggled the slightest bit as she asked Mike this question. Mike wasn't sure if she was embarrassed or something else. "Yes, I am he, and what might your name be?" Mike was sure he was kissing his sleep time goodbye, but he wanted to be gracious to the girl too. He had become use to people asking for an autograph or photo back home in L.A. but those had mostly died a few months after the war had ended. People seemed to have gotten back to living life, and Mike was glad the spotlight had faded from him. The flight attendant smiled back at Mike and stood to leave. "I'm Christi, if you need anything else while you are on this flight, please don't hesitate to ask Mr. Donovan. You saved our lives, you and the Resistance, we will never be able to pay you back for that. But thank you, and...and...well just thank you.'

Mike smiled at the girl. It was hard for him to take credit for saving the world. He would have been blown to pieces along with everyone else if it wasn't for Elizabeth turning off the Dooms day device. "Thanks, there is no reason to pay any of us back, you would have done the same thing if you had been in our shoes. We do what we have to, that's all we did. But thank you again for your kind words. They are encouraging." With that said, Mike pulled the thick airline blanket up around his body and snuggled down in his seat hoping to salvage at least a few minutes of sleep. Christi took Mike's hint and strolled back behind the curtain. Mike thought he could hear giggles coming from beyond the curtain, but at this point in time he really did not care. The last thing Mike heard before he fell fast asleep was the slight sleeping sounds his first class buddy was making.

An hour after Mike had fallen asleep he was woken up by Christi the flight attendant. "Mr. Donovan, we are about to land, we need you to put your seat in the most upright position." Mike was even more groggy waking up this time, but he was quickly pushing through the fog in his head. He found the control buttons on the side of his arm rest and was almost shot out of his seat when he released the buttons too quickly. He found himself in a very upright position, almost too upright, but he managed to fix his seat to a suitable angle and ready himself for landing. Mike always loved the landings on these bigger planes. They touched down so much smoother than the small planes he flew occasionally during the war. They were no match though to those alien starfighters. Those were as smooth as silk when flying and landing. Mike missed having one around for him to fly from place to place. He knew there were a few of them around, and Mike would have to look into buying one, even if it wasn't working well. He knew he could find someone to fix it, even Martin could help him with some repairs. He seemed to have some knowledge of the fighters himself. But Mike tried to push those thoughts out of his mind for now. He wanted to stay focused, Julie was where he was focused and that is where he wanted to stay.

Before he knew it, the plane had landed and it was deboarding. Mike looked around, made sure he had everything he brought on the plane with him. He checked his pocket at least three times to make sure the ring was still in it's box tucked away safely. It was always there, and Mike sighed a breath of relief knowing he had made it this far.

Mike had to figure out where his next boarding gate was, and at 4:30 in the morning the airport was starting to come alive for the day. He checked his ticket and went to look at a reader board with all the flight information on it. He scanned the whole board twice before he found his connecting flight to Charleston. It said it was on time and was leaving in twenty minutes. Mike realized that he had to run part of the way through the terminal to find his gate. It ended up being one of the farthest gates from where he came off the plane from L.A.

As Mike walked up to the gate, panting a bit from the jog, he handed his boarding pass to the lady behind the counter. "You made it just in time sir, we were calling last call for boarding. Do you have anything to stow with you?" Mike made a face wishing he had his small bag with him, but he made it all the way here without his things, he could go a bit farther without them. "No, It's just me."

The lady behind the counter did some tapping on her computer keyboard and then smiled at Mike. "Here is your boarding pass back, feel free to go right up the ramp Mr. Donovan and find your seat. Thank you for flying with United today." Mike took the pass from the lady and headed for the boarding tunnel. This one was much longer than the other tunnel and he realized that the plane he was getting onto was much bigger than the last plane. It was also parked funny at the loading ramp. Mike wondered who they had flying these things these days. Maybe he should have looked into a job as a pilot after the war ended. He may have been gone for bits at a time, but Mike was sure Julie would have been able to handle the bland flying he would have been doing. 'live and learn huh Mike?'

Mike found his seat in first class and noticed the plane was much fuller this flight than the one he took from L.A. He actually had someone sitting next to him, but that didn't bother Mike too much, he had a nice big seat to relax in, and the short flight from Atlanta to Charleston should only take about an hour or so, then he would be so close to Julie. Mike started to get excited when he realized how close he was to seeing Julie again. He started tapping his knee out of nervous energy and he noticed that it was annoying his seat mate. Mike knew he had to bring it down a bit if he was going to survive the flight, so first thing he did once it was available was buy himself a drink. He hoped it would calm him down just enough to make it through the flight and maybe even help him take a quick nap before they arrived in Charleston.

| Julie now had a cot in her room that her mother was happily making into her own sleeping quarters. Julie had become quite tired while her mom organized her room, so she curled up in a ball with her blankets and quickly fell asleep. Her mom continued to set up as much as she could in the little room and once she was done, she realized that it was almost 5a.m. in the morning. She had been up since 7a.m. the morning before. She usually took naps in the afternoon, but that is when she received the phone call that Julie was in the hospital after having a heart attack. She had packed quickly and headed straight for the airport. The beeping sounds in Julie's room were sounding very obnoxious to Mrs. Parrish and as she laid down on the cot hoping to grab a few hours sleep, the beeping felt like it was bouncing off the inside of her head. She put a pillow over her head, but the beeping penetrated right through it. There was no way she was going to get any sleep with that racket going on in the room. Mrs. Parrish headed out to the nurses station where she found one lonely nurse looking at something on the computer. "Excuse me, I am in Dr. Juliet Parrish's room and the beeping from one of her monitors is keeping us awake, is it possible to silence it while we sleep?" The nurse looked at her a moment, then at a big board behind her with names and a lot of information that made no sense to Julie's mom. "Her nurse is on break, but when she gets back I will have her come in and adjust the volume for you." That was all Mrs. Parrish was going to get out of this nurse. She was not a woman to stand around and be content with mediocrity. "Excuse me miss, may I ask what you are doing that you cannot come into the room right across your nurses station and turn down the monitor?" Mrs. Parrish could tell that she was annoying the nurse and that the nurse obviously had been doing something other than work related business on the computer because she stood up, walked over to Julie's room, turned down the monitor, and then went back to the computer without saying a thing to Mrs. Parrish. "Thanks, I thought you could do that for us. Good night!" Mrs. Parrish returned to Julie's room with a small smile on her face. She laid down on the cot and realized the room was quiet. She was almost asleep before she was able to pull the blankets up around her.

When Julie awoke, she looked around her room and found her mom still asleep on her cot. Looking at the clock Julie saw that she had only been asleep for a couple of hours. She did feel a little better, but she was still physically exhausted and felt like a truck had run over her chest. Julie took a peak down her hospital gown and saw the dark bruises that had formed all over her chest. There were some small burn marks where she figured they had used the paddles on her to restart her heart. 'Very attractive Julie.' She rolled her eyes as she thought of how she looked right now. She tried to fool herself that having no one to see her naked right now was a good thing.

As Julie was about to find her controller to turn on the T.V., her day nurse walked in. "Good morning, and how are we feeling this morning?" The nurse went around the room checking all of Julie's monitors and tubes attached and coming from her. "I am OK, just feeling sore. Do you know when the cardiologist is coming by?"

The nurse regarded Julie for a moment, then without saying a word, walked out of the room. Julie tried to watch where the nurse went, but her view was blocked by the partially closed door. Laying back on her bed, Julie let out a deep sigh. She was just about done with being dependent on the hospital staff. She wanted to be in her own bed at home. Not long after the nurse left, she came back in. "I'm sorry I had to run out, I realized I had left a medication drawer open. It's been a rough week you know? Anyways, we haven't heard when the doctors are doing rounds, but they are usually here around 8a.m. I will let you know if I hear anything sooner ok?" The nurse smiled at Julie, checked her I.V. one more time and left.

As Mike walked out of the Charleston airport, he looked for the car lot that held his rental. It was just a bit after 8a.m. eastern time, but Mike felt energized. He wanted to find a hotel that would let him check in early. He wanted to shower and change his clothes before he headed to the hospital. Even though Julie had seen him at his worst, Mike wanted to look his best when seeing Julie for the first time in months.


End file.
